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Post by PLAYTOURGOLF BOSS on Nov 21, 2022 14:43:37 GMT -5
Event 2 - 2015 ALLIANZ CHAMPIONSHIP - at The Glades G.C. - Round 4
The high winds returned to potentially make life difficult, as could the fast greens. Bob Fletcher completed a dismal week with a mundane 74, while Les Souter signed off with a respectable 67, a good enough score to finish in an equally respectable tie for 10th place, thereby claiming 39 Charles Schwab Cup points in the process. Mel Tyke performed heroics to fire a great 64 in an admirable effort to catch the two players ahead of him, but in the end had to settle for 3rd spot. Ian McKinley and Hans Kunok didn't have it all their own way in the race to the winning line, Ian prevailing by two strokes thanks to his concluding 67 as opposed to Hans's 68. We stay in Florida for the next event, the ACE Group Classic, which promises to be another fascinating tourney...
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Post by PLAYTOURGOLF BOSS on Nov 22, 2022 6:11:46 GMT -5
Here are the Charles Schwab Cup standings after the first two events...
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Post by PLAYTOURGOLF BOSS on Nov 23, 2022 20:29:42 GMT -5
Event 3 - 2015 ACE GROUP CLASSIC - at Nicklaus G.C. @ Reunion - Round 1
It was good to see Randy Grant returning to tour play, but after his opening 87 it might only be a fleeting visit. Les Souter experienced all kinds of problems and the sad consequence was a depressing 80. Hans Kunok and Ian McKinley began the week with a pair of less than exciting 74's but they still have time to climb into contention. Mel Tyke, the only player to collect Charles Schwab Cup points in each of the first two events, has a bit of work to make it three after his opening 71. Bob Fletcher wasn't looking forward to the very fast greens, on which he normally struggles, but a vastly improved putting game and a couple of chip-ins helped him to a 68, a good effort that places him two strokes behind the opening day leader.
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Post by PLAYTOURGOLF BOSS on Nov 25, 2022 15:40:46 GMT -5
Event 3 - 2015 ACE GROUP CLASSIC - at Nicklaus G.C. @ Reunion - Round 2
A bit of a breeze was blowing today, but nothing to stress out the players, and the greens were a tad slower but still quick. Les Souter's nightmare continued as he posted another very uncharacteristic 80, almost all of the damage coming on the front nine. After also carding 80 in the opening round, Roger Instell found his A-game to fire a very creditable 66 today to become upwardly mobile. Ian McKinley also improved by shooting a 70 but is still languishing in the bottom half of the leaderboard. One stroke ahead of Ian after coming to grips with the course was Hans Kunok who looked much more like his normal self during his round of 69. Mel Tyke moved into the top 10 courtesy of a fine 67 and he is still in with a fighting chance. After his fine first round Bob Fletcher was expecting a bad reaction today. Well, he got a reaction but it was far from bad. He shot the best score of the day, a super 63, and an eagle on the 18th saw him leapfrog Colin Montgomerie (no mean feat) to lead the field at halfway.
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Post by PLAYTOURGOLF BOSS on Nov 27, 2022 12:10:19 GMT -5
Event 3 - 2015 ACE GROUP CLASSIC - at Nicklaus G.C. @ Reunion - Round 3
It was quite windy today and, although the greens were near-perfect, some of the pin locations could cause problems. Les Souter finally managed a half-decent round, carding a level par 72, but remained rock bottom of the leaderboard. Hans Kunok shot a 70 to stay in the middle of the pack, while Mel Tyke's hard-working 68 leaves him needing something special in the final round if he is to taste victory. Overnight leader Bob Fletcher fought well for his 69 which included one solitary bogey, but he has now been joined at the top of the field by Lee Janzen (67) and Bart Bryant, who fired an amazing 62. At the time of reporting Ian McKinley was yet to finish his third round. It's going to be a close one...
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Post by PLAYTOURGOLF BOSS on Nov 28, 2022 7:18:46 GMT -5
Event 3 - 2015 ACE GROUP CLASSIC - at Nicklaus G.C. @ Reunion - Round 4
The winds were still high but overnight rain had rendered the greens sluggish. Les Souter finally carded an under par round, a 70, and he'll be glad this week is over. Hans Kunok's second 69 of the event left him in the bottom half of the leaderboard, mainly due to his slow start. In Round 3 Ian McKinley threw caution to the wind and posted his best round. Today he did the same and that approach paid off again as he fired a 67 to finish tied 15th. Mel Tyke carded his second 68 of the tourney to grab a share of 10th spot, thereby claiming more Charles Schwab Cup points, the only player to do so in all of the first three events. Bob Fletcher began his round as one of three joint leaders. After also coming in with a 68, also his second this week, he still didn't know if he'd won. It transpired that the other co-leaders had crumbled under the pressure - Lee Janzen could only shoot a 73 and Bart Bryant a 74. Bob had been level with Colin Montgomerie and Olin Browne, but his birdies on the final two holes proved to be decisive, carving out a two-shot victory!!
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Post by PLAYTOURGOLF BOSS on Dec 5, 2022 5:59:42 GMT -5
Event 4 - 2015 TUCSON CONQUISTADORES CLASSIC - at Burrowing Owl
Randy Grant battled gamely last week but failed to break 70 in any of his rounds, an indication that there is still a substantial amount of rust to be removed from his clubs, but at least he avoided last place. Hans Kunok carded three under-par rounds but it was his 79 on Day 3 that really scuppered his chances of a respectable finish. Ian McKinley missed out on some Charles Schwab Cup points by just two strokes, the cost of not being able to produce his A-game at Burrowing Owl. Last week's winner, Bob Fletcher, made a great start with the equal best round of the opening day, a 64, but then was unable to replicate that fine form in the next three rounds. He wasn't unhappy with a tied 7th finish though, earning as it did some more CSC points. At halfway it looked very much like a two-horse race between Mel Tyke and Les Souter. Co-leaders after two rounds, Mel edged in front after Round 3 and, although Les pushed him very hard on the final day, Mel stood up to the pressure by shooting a 66, the best closing round, to emerge victorious by three shots. Both Les and Mel recorded four sub-70 rounds so it was no surprise that they powered well clear of the rest of the field.
So far we've had just one pro win and three guest wins - can the pro's fight back in Mississippi next week?!
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Post by PLAYTOURGOLF BOSS on Dec 5, 2022 8:55:19 GMT -5
MEL TYKE is the only player to have collected Charles Schwab Cup points in each of the first four tournaments!! Consequently he now leads the CSC standings by quite a distance, but it's still early days...
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Post by PLAYTOURGOLF BOSS on Dec 6, 2022 19:20:20 GMT -5
Event 5 - 2015 MISSISSIPPI GULF RESORT CLASSIC - at Ironfall 2
From the wide open spaces of Arizona to the narrow fairways and plentiful water of Mississippi, this week holds a completely different challenge! The greens today were slow and, with just a breeze blowing, players had a chance to start the event with a good score. Unfortunately for Bob Fletcher, he had big swing timing issues and he was glad to walk off with a 74 in the end, helped by an eagle on the 16th. Hans Kunok and Ian McKinley managed solid-enough 70's, Ian having the perfect start to his round with an eagle on the opening hole. It was looking gloomy for Randy Grant but a run of five birds on the last five holes saved the day and he would be ecstatic with his 69. Les Souter carried over his fine form from last week to fire a 67 which was bogey-free, a score that places him one shot off the lead. That is held by last week's winner, Mel Tyke, whose super 66 included an eagle on the 4th. Another intriguing week is in store...
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Post by PLAYTOURGOLF BOSS on Dec 9, 2022 7:33:58 GMT -5
Event 5 - 2015 MISSISSIPPI GULF RESORT CLASSIC - at Ironfall 2 - Round 2
High winds and exceedingly quick greens promised to bring relatively big problems today. Hans Kunok (78) and Les Souter (77) certainly found conditions difficult out there, and Les didn't help his cause by carding a rare quadruple-bogey on the 17th. Ian McKinley struggled in with a 75 while Bob Fletcher's 71 was a round to remember. After bogeying the 15th he grabbed a double-eagle on the 16th and followed that with two closing birdies, effectively saving his round. Overnight leader Mel Tyke also had his problems, even though he started superbly with an eagle on the 1st. His eventual 73 would see him finish the day seven shots off the lead. We haven't seen Roger Instell for quite some time but, after fine rounds of 67 and today's 65, he leads the field by three strokes at halfway - but can he hang on for a famous win?
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Post by PLAYTOURGOLF BOSS on Dec 12, 2022 7:51:01 GMT -5
Event 5 - 2015 MISSISSIPPI GULF RESORT CLASSIC - at Ironfall 2 - FINAL ROUND
The high winds returned for the final day's play to help produce an interesting climax to the tournament. Having fought with his swing over the last two days Randy Grant finally re-discovered his timing on the back nine today, far too late to gain a decent placing, but enough to card a barely acceptable 73. Bob Fletcher ended the event the same way he'd started it, with a disappointing 74, leaving him tied 36th with Hans Kunok whose very good 67 was the best round of the day. Ian McKinley signed off with a respectable 71 which included an eagle on the 16th, but also a double-bogey on the short 13th, and he would be fairly content with 15th place. Les Souter's fine 68 would have been better but his short game let him down. Unfortunately that left him missing out on valuable Charles Schwab Cup points by a solitary stroke. Mysteriously, halfway mark leader Roger Instell walked off the course during the third round and never re-appeared, potentially missing out on a likely victory judging by his early form. That left the door open for others, and Mel Tyke so nearly took full advantage but the one bogey, coming on the 2nd, in his round of 69 meant he missed out on a three-way play-off by just one stroke! On the plus side Mel bagged more CSC points to extend his lead at the top of the table. The eventual winner was tour pro Kevin Sutherland who prevailed over Tom Lehman to notch up his first win of the season.
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Post by PLAYTOURGOLF BOSS on Dec 15, 2022 7:40:16 GMT -5
Event 6 - 2015 GREATER GWINNETT CHAMPIONSHIP - at Appletown G.C. - Round 1
Several guests took an instant liking to the Appletown course and four of them dominate the top of the leaderboard after Day 1. It was a different story for Ian McKinley (74), Bob Fletcher (72) and Hans Kunok (71) however, and their tourney looks to be over almost before it started. High winds and fast greens couldn't prevent Randy Grant (66), Mel Tyke (65) and early leader Les Souter (63) from making great starts. Also, newcomer Norm Ricker enjoyed an impressive debut, carding a 65 to join the leading bunch.
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Post by PLAYTOURGOLF BOSS on Dec 16, 2022 7:30:51 GMT -5
Event 6 - 2015 GREATER GWINNETT CHAMPIONSHIP - at Appletown G.C. - Round 2
The wind dropped a little but not before it had completely dried out the greens, leaving them ultra-quick, so great care had to be taken with the putter. Hans Kunok improved on his opening round by scoring a 69, while Bob Fletcher's unexpected 66 saw him progress up the leaderboard, and these two still have a chance of a top 10 finish. Mel Tyke had a rare off-day, every hole proving a struggle due to swing tempo problems, and a 71 was not what he was looking for. Randy Grant managed a 69 which included an eagle on the par 5 10th, and he looks in good shape for the weekend. 'Newbie' Norm Ricker again played very well and his 64 was the equal best round of the day, placing him just two shots off the pace. Les Souter retained his opening day lead when he also posted a super 64, helped by an ACE on the 2nd, which Les then followed with a bogey on the 3rd, his only dropped shot of the round. It still looks promising for the guests but the weather forecast for the weekend is not good, so anything can still happen...
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Post by PLAYTOURGOLF BOSS on Dec 18, 2022 15:57:34 GMT -5
Event 6 - 2015 GREATER GWINNETT CHAMPIONSHIP - at Appletown G.C. - Round 3
Nearly forgot about this one, pushed for time so just the leaderboard...
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Post by PLAYTOURGOLF BOSS on Dec 19, 2022 8:31:58 GMT -5
Event 6 - 2015 GREATER GWINNETT CHAMPIONSHIP - at Appletown G.C. - FINAL ROUND
Well, what a final day this turned out to be!! The wind had dropped slightly but was still blowing hard, the greens were fast, the pins maybe not quite so easy, and the scene was set. Hans Kunok completed a miserable week with a 74, while Ian McKinley's fine closing 66 helped him achieve a respectable position. Bob Fletcher's putting let him down but he still carded a 69 to grab 8th place and some Charles Schwab Cup points. Debutant Norm Ricker posted a 67 to claim 6th spot and, judging from his performance this week, he will be a leading light for the remainder of the season. One shot ahead of Norm, in 5th place, was Mel Tyke whose 66 ensured his record of having finished in the top 10 in every event so far continued. Randy Grant was a bit of a surprise package this week and his 65, the equal best of the day and his fourth sub-70 round of the tourney, handed him a well-deserved 3rd spot.
But the real drama was yet to come. Les Souter had led from Day 1 and took a 2-shot lead into the final day. Tour pro Olin Browne was his nearest rival and when Browne walked off with a 65 Les needed to birdie the last three holes to tie - which he did to force a play-off!! The starting hole was selected at random and it was the 6th. Browne's approach left him a very makeable uphill birdie putt, but Les's approach came up just short of the green. His subsequent chip flew past the flag to leave a tricky downhill par putt - which he missed. Browne stepped up and rolled his ball into the cup to steal the title!! Here is his winning putt...
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